Delicate
by ProDLnEC aka NLcsimiamifanatic
Summary: After many bumps in the road Horatio Caine finally had the life he never thought he could have. He knew that peace was delicate and fleeting, but just how much would again shake him to the core...COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

_** Question! **__Before I get on with the sequel to __**A Different Road**__ does anybody remember in what episode that Eric calls Horatio "H" and Rick Stetler tells Horatio that could be taken as a lack respect for a supervisor. Horatio replied "I'm willing to take that chance."_

_** Note: **I like both characters, therefore both Ryan Wolfe and Tim Speedle are in this story._

_**Delicate**_

Sequel to a _Different Road_

Take-offs from this original story _A Happy Man _and_ Daddy Daycare_ had are also posted.

_**Settled**_

Life for Horatio Caine was how he never dared to dream it would be. After everything they had gone through with Kyle's biological mother Julia Albery and Rick Stetler, Horatio was amazed and grateful Aimee was had stood by him. And not still with him "for the kids," either. He had the family he had dreamt of for years. No matter what the job threw at him, he woke with a smile on his face every morning. How could he not, with two beautiful children and a wife whom he adored? A wife who put up with erratic hours of his job, often parenting their children like a single mom for days, when the job kept him from home and still welcomed him with open arms at the end of the day without a trace of resentment.

Horatio well knew some women after years of this life thought she "just as well" be a single parent. That was why some cops' marriages failed. As determined as he was that this wouldn't happen to himself and Aimee, he knew there was no guarantee it wouldn't. But to do his part, Horatio made sure when he was home, he was truly _home_. Not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well, regardless of the cases he was working. And no matter how long he had been gone he knew the children's routines and schedules. How Kyle was doing at school and soccer or T-ball and if Faith had a new tooth come in or if she had taken more steps yet. He knew some officers found this information to be just "noise" after the stress of the job. Horatio felt bad for the spouses and children of such officers. As hard as he tried to be empathetic to said officers, he couldn't help but think he– or she, should think long and hard if they could care about a family properly. If they thought they couldn't and weren't sure, they shouldn't bring a family into the mix. If an officer did have a family, however and were neglecting them, they needed therapy and "kick in the ass" in Horatio's opinion. As the latter went, he often gave a "kick in the ass" to some officers who came to him complaining to him about their families. He would acknowledge to them that while nothing was guaranteed and there was two involved in a marriage, there were things the officer could do and not do to "not fuck things up."

"In the end, it's your call what you do," he would advise the person.

Saying something like "do I look like I care?" when your wife told you that your baby girl did something new or when your son proudly showed you something he made at school was unfathomable to Horatio. When a frustrated officer or detective asked "but what if that's how I feel?"

"Then you have a problem," was Horatio's reply.

Horatio and Aimee had the "perfect set" with their two children but were ninety-nine percent sure they weren't done having children yet. Their close friends and Horatio's colleagues, Eric and Calleigh had become parents for the first time six days ago. Twins Emily and Adam were healthy at thirty-seven weeks. Because Calleigh was able to have a vaginal delivery and the twins were each over six pounds, the three only had to stay in the hospital two days. Typically, Calleigh was already saying this was it for her and Eric in the baby department. Eric seemed disappointed when his wife made that statement but once they were on their own looking after two newborns he agreed with her.

For now.


	2. Chapter 2

_**True Monsters**_

_Rated "R" for the graphic crime scene!_

Horatio swallowed hard to rid his throat of the sickening taste of bile. The smell of blood and flesh in the early stages of decomposition was everywhere.

There was a monster on the loose in Miami.

Five days ago, a family had found slaughtered in their own home. The weapon, an axe was found. Washed clean of all fingerprints and most fibres and blood. Each victim the mother, an eight-year-old son and six-month-old boy had been hacked to death. Thin layers of flesh were the only thing holding the bodies together. It was going to be next to impossible for Alexx to figure which blow killed each victim. Horatio only prayed the blow was the first one and death came quick. Now, he knelt over the body of a woman in an identical scene. The bodies of her five-year-old boy lay less than three feet away on the living room floor. The body of her infant son, adopted at birth three months ago, lay resembling a doll broken into pieces with exception of the blood-soaked bed sheets in the crib in the next room. Neither family was connected as far as detectives could tell.

But they did have one thing in common. In each family, one child were adopted and one was not.

In the first case the husband was cleared immediately. He was the father of only the older boy and had died three years prior. The murdered woman had adopted the second baby as a single parent. The baby's birth and adoption had taken place in Texas. Both sides of the baby's birth family had been agreeable to the adoption. When they heard the news they were devastated not only for the baby boy but for other little boy and his mother. Both birth parents and relatives they could never hurt the family, not only because they loved the baby and thought he was in the right place but there was weekly contact between all parties through e-mails, pictures and Skype. In the second case, there wasn't a father to consider. The mother had been for years. Her five-year-old son was conceived from anonymous donor sperm. Her adopted child came to her care through a private agency. It was a closed adoption. Only the biological family's medical information was shared with baby's new mother. The birth family did not know where the adoptive family lived and vice-versa. Their involvement was impossible.

One family lived in a rental home in a working class neighborhood. The second lived in the suburbs. The only thing the cases had in common was the family dynamics.

_Did the killer have a grudge against families with adopted and biological children?_

If so, how did he—or she know the victims. So far, the consensus was the killer was male because the strength it took to do that much damage to a body, even with a freshly sharped axe. Still it couldn't ruled out the perpetrator could be female. Hopefully, there was some trace evidence from the killer left on the axe that could found at the lab to narrow this down. Two different adoption agencies were used—both in different cities. And the conception circumstances of the biological children were completely different. In the back of his mind, Horatio began to wonder if his own family could be in danger. His family dynamic was similar. Kyle was his biologically, but Aimee's by adoption. Then Faith was born, connected to both by biology.

Horatio didn't want to cause his wife and son any more anxiety, especially considering all they already been through. And he definitely didn't want to lock Kyle up in the house. Kyle deserved to live his life the same, with school, friends and other activities. However, Horatio was certainly going to be more conscious of the family surroundings till this monster was found. At the Caine home, Aimee Caine was folding laundry when the news of a second triple homicide interrupted the program she was watching. One-year-old Faith played happily in her playpen, babbling to herself, oblivious to what was on the television. Kyle had been in Hialeah with her parents all weekend. He would be home momentarily. She had just spoken to him on her dad's cellphone. Aimee heaved a heavy sigh knowing that yet _again_ her husband wouldn't home till very late.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Our "Normal"**_

_Thank you for the reviews. To HEHC4EVR, I came up with Delko twins' names as they're the actor's real names. Thought it would be a cute twist! :)_

Aimee didn't allow herself to think of how grotesque this and the previous crime scene had been. She shook her head hard to get rid of the thought. She had children to look after and it was dinnertime. Kyle seldom asked where daddy was when Horatio wasn't there in the evening. When he wanted french toast with cinnamon or "breakfast for dinner" as the family called it, his mom was happy to make the simple meal. And Faith could feed herself this when it was cut into narrow strips. Through he didn't ask where his dad was while the family ate dinner, he asked whether dad would be home by the time he went to bed.

"I don't know, honey," Aimee told the boy honestly.

Even if Horatio's phone rang _two minutes_ before he was off-shift, he was assigned the case. On the other end, the moment his shift ended, any case was assigned to another detective.

"We get to go home. huh?" Tim Speedle said.

After resigning from the crime lab after being shot three years ago, even though he had made a full recovery. Now he was ready to resume the the career of a crime scene investigator again. With the support of his girlfriend, Lorelei Rogers, the two moved back from Naples to Miami. Lorelei was a vet technician.

"Yeah," Horatio said. God, he couldn't wait to hug his wife and children.

Although the team was working as hard as humanly possible to find justice for the two murdered families the Bakers and the Copelands, Horatio hoped that the "butcher" as the media dubbed the killer, would take the night off so the team could re-group. As horrific as the scenes had been, Horatio was too exhausted for nightmares, if he had been the type to have them. Despite being off-duty, if a call came in during the night, that looked like the work of the "butcher" since it was their case, he and the team would be called in.

Tim and Lorelei were pet parents of Charlie, a beagle-bulldog mix missing a left ear because an attack by another dog and Chloe a bulldog-lab mix who was missing her right eye because of an infection that went improperly treated because her previous family couldn't afford a vet visit. The eye-removal surgery was necessary because the infection would have spread. Both dogs had been rescued from euthanasia list at the local shelter. Horatio and Aimee often teased their friends about giving their dogs human names after adopting them. Lorelei and Tim had been talked about having children but they hadn't started trying yet, thinking that maybe there was a better time ahead to have them. What were they waiting for? All their friends wanted to know. They had just bought a house. Lorelei had steady employment, as did Tim. And it wasn't as if Tim's hours were going to get any less unpredictable or the job less dangerous. Plus the "perfect" time didn't exist. Eric didn't know details of Tim and Lorelei's finances and frankly knew it was none of his or anyone's business but he told Speed that if everyone waited till they were financially secure and debt-free barely anyone would have children.

Thankfully, the night was uneventful. Cuddles and kisses from his wife and children made the images of crime scenes in Horatio's mind fade for a while. His family had the ability to do this, regardless of what he saw on the job. There was a school of thought that Horatio couldn't possibly be a good father and husband simply because he wasn't home so often. The first person who would vehemently say that was false till she was blue in the face was Aimee. It infuriated her each and every time she heard it.

Horatio was a great father and husband. What mattered was he did with the time he _did_ have with his family. The hours of his job were indeed a hard thing to deal with. However this wasn't new to anyone. Aimee and the children had ways to deal with that. And really it was only Aimee had to learn that. It had been this way for Kyle and Faith's whole lives, it was all they knew. All was still quiet the next morning during breakfast. The front page of newspaper still had the story of murders though. A particular level of information was needed for public knowledge, to attempt to identify the perpetrator and to advise people how to remain safe. However, Horatio loathed how the media gave such criminals nicknames. People like this enjoyed the attention.

_How did reporters not realize this? _Horatio thought with a sigh before folding the paper and tossing it on top of the microwave. He'd get more updated information at work.

With the exception of if another call came in that looked like the serial killer's 'work," Horatio didn't have to be at the lab until ten. He was going to drive Kyle to Dade Elementary school then he, Aimee and Faith were to going to feed the ducks that made their home in the pound in the backyard. These moments of family time were badly needed.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Curious for opinions: **__I know the show was no __**CSI Miami**__ (and Jim Longworth is no __**Horatio Caine**__,) but did it bother anyone A&E cancelled "__The Glades__" the way they did? Now we'll never know who shot Jim!__At least they could have done __**one**__ more episode to wrap that up if they planned to cancel it! __**Chime in!**_

_**Another Day...More Crime**_

Faith Roslind Caine was her father made over. Any hint of brown in her hair vanished months ago. She was now a complete redhead and like her brother, had their father's piercing blue eyes. This morning she was visibly surprised to see her daddy walk back into the living room less a half hour later.

"Dad-dad!" Faith squalled

"Yes, my darling," Horatio replied, with a smile.

Faith had become more steady on her feet in the last few days. She pulled herself into a standing position and as fast as her little legs could carry her made a beeline for Horatio. Horatio grinned, scooped her up in his arms and kissed her face, whispering "I love you" in her ear. Maybe the fact she had no sense of time was a positive thing right now. Perhaps, she didn't realize just how much and how long he wasn't around these days. Because she was just a baby, Horatio was afraid Faith would forget him. Or if she didn't forget him, her bond with him would weaken. By her reaction to him right this second, he was relieved that wasn't happening.

"Let's go feed some duckies, huh?" He asked her.

The three were in the backyard feeding the ducks when Horatio voiced his worry about their daughter to his wife. In reply, Aimee kissed him said "you know I'd never let that happen. They both _adore_ you. You're our son's hero. He talks about you all day long, that you're only not home because 'someone's got to catch the bad guys and you're the best at it.'

"And as far as me, I'm _so proud _to be your wife. I wouldn't want any other life. You hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said smiling, kissing her back.

* * *

A call from the tip line had resulted in an arrest. The suspect was waiting in the interrogation room when Horatio arrived at the lab. Since the second murder Eric was a isolated a tiny amount of blood on the axe used to murder the family. The suspect Rodney Purcell had small but deep wounds on both hands. Wounds that could possibly be caused by an axe. Rodney stated those cuts were from working at his uncle's shoe repair shop, from the knives used to cut leather.

"I'm fuckin' clumsy, all right? But I ain't ever killed anyone!"

Rodney was an anti-adoption advocate, who ran a blog on the topic and bragged about it. He had mentioned in his blog the deceased children were "better off dead than being in a mixed family." He had several convictions for trespassing in the parking lot of a recently opened adoption agency he lived close to. He would intercept all trying to enter the building, whether it be a pregnant woman wanting to place her baby or a couple looking to adopt and tell them how wrong and selfish their choice was.

"This guy might have a screwball attitude, but I don't think this is our guy. He's too co-operative." Tim told Horatio on the way to interrogation. "He offered his DNA while he was still in the car with Tripp. Delko's running it as we speak."

Thanks to the murders Eric Delko had to come to the lab just ten days into his paternity leave.

As the two men entered the viewing area outside the two-way mirror of the interrogation. What they saw through the glass told them that Speed could indeed be correct. CSI Ryan Wolfe shoved photos of both crime scenes in front of him. Rodney Purcell went pale, his eyes rolled back in his head and fainted, rolling off the chair where he was seated. Frank Tripp grabbed him before he could hit the floor. No one knew of a serial killer who fainted at the sight of his own "work." Eric confirmed Rodney Purcell wasn't the person they were looking for minutes later. The DNA wasn't a match.

Horatio's day continued with a woman stabbing her sister after finding out she was sleeping with her husband—and her boyfriend.

Yes, the woman openly admitted to having both.

Patrol had checked on both men.

They were fine.

Horatio couldn't help thinking that if his wife had been in the position of the woman who was arrested, it would have been for stabbing three people, not just one.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Not Again...**_

Aimee Caine snorted, then laughed.

The thought of having both a husband and boyfriend was hilarious.

One man was enough to handle.

That and she always told people that off the job Horatio was like a third child—and often the worst one. Horatio was able to get home an hour after the family usually ate dinner so Aimee had decided to wait for him. Now her husband kept an eye on the turkey patties in the pan while she made potato salad, adding fresh peas and corn— and lots of mayonnaise .

A favorite of both hers and Faith's.

"Speed and Lorelei got another rescue," Horatio told Aimee. "This one's only an eight-week-old. A Yorky, I think he said. Lorelei wants to adopt it but Speed says 'no' because Chewy as he is called is too yappy. Not to mention he 'looks like a like rat.'"

An eight-week-old anything is adorable. And Aimee were a dog lover herself. In this case though she had to agree with Tim. A cousin of hers had not one, not two but _three_ Yorkies Aimee didn't know how she didn't strangle them with all the barking they did. It was like barking in stereo at that house.

"How much do you wanna bet that Tim will cave because Lorelei says so?" Aimee said as she put the plates on the table.

"Oh, I don't know," Horatio replied, "if they have over two dogs, they wouldn't be licensed to take in any more rescues."

Rescuing strays and abused or abandoned animals was a huge passion for Lorelei Rogers. Originally she and Tim were only supposed to take care of Charlie and Chloe temporarily but both had become too attached to the each dog and couldn't part with either one of them.

"Ah. Maybe they'll have to let Chewy be adopted by someone else then."

"Who's Chewy? Why is he bein' 'dopted?"

Their conversation was interrupted by Kyle who entered the kitchen. He was going to tell his parents he was hungry.

"Remember I told you that Uncle Speed and Lorelei take care of dogs who don't have homes?" Horatio asked.

Kyle nodded.

"Well, Chewy is a dog who came to live with them yesterday. But Uncle Speed thinks he'll be happier somewhere else."

"Oh. I'm hungry. When's dinner gonna be ready?"

Horatio and Aimee laughed. Leave it to their son to drop one topic for another, especially if one of the topics was food.

Horatio's phone rang at 1:00am. There was a murder that appeared to be another attack by the "butcher." This time it was slightly different, however. The victim was a social worker specializing in the adoption of special needs children who were considered "hard to place.". She didn't have children and wasn't involved with anybody. She lived with a roommate was blind. The social worker named Greta Williams had survived the attack initially, able to tell first officers on the scene there the attacker was a large male who had a had a snake tattoo. Those were her last words before she lapsed into unconsciousness. Greta Williams would be pronounced dead in the emergency room. Her roommate Jen, who also had the last name Williams but was unrelated, told them tearfully that the only thing she could tell them was the attacker gave off a sweet, fruity odor. Jen was attacked in the hallway. When she had heard her friend screaming in the kitchen. She had "played dead." till the attacker was gone.

At the hospital, while Horatio spoke to the doctor, emts and first officer on the scene about Greta Williams, Tim interviewed Jen. He assured the wounded woman that while she believed what she was telling the police was nothing, the little information she had would be helpful.

He also told her "playing dead" saved her life.

The "fruity" odor could mean the attacker was a diabetic who hadn't taken his insulin. This was _something_ to narrow down the field of suspects. The E.R. doctor told Horatio that Greta bleed out from her carotid artery being "nicked." The bleeding was slower and why she lived for minutes verus seconds. The physician confirmed to Horatio Greta very likely could have been lucid enough to tell the emts and officers something about the intruder. The only thing that could be done at this moment was to process the physical evidence. Under heavy guard, Jen Williams was left to rest. They would ask her more questions later.

* * *

As he pulled into the lane that led to his home at 4:50a.m. a horrifying text message flashed on his phone.

_ I hadn't decided when or even if I will, but you might want to find me before I get to your family. They call me the butcher._

A smiley face followed.

Horatio went pale.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Reinforcements from the Family**_

_ Was this for real or some sick joke? _

_ Did the killer have his cell phone number?_

The number was listed as restricted.

Still at the top of the lane Horatio pulled a U-turn and sped back in the direction of the lab, while hitting Frank Tripp's number, he told the detective to stay there. He had something Frank needed to see. And in the meantime, to send out a patrol car to park across the street from his home. He would explain when he got to the lab, and to his wife when he got home. However coincidental, or lucky, Dade Elementary kindergarten teachers had a workshop that day. Aimee's likening for sleeping late had wore off on Kyle and Horatio knew that Kyle would still be solid asleep by the time he got back home. He didn't intend to be gone long.

Both Frank Tripp and Ryan Wolfe's eyes got big when they read the words of the text on Horatio's phone. Ryan immediately took the phone and said he would try to trace where the text came from. Horatio's next call was to brother-in-law, Andy. Andy ran his own private guard company in Miami. He and his guards were not only built like gladiators with arms like tree trunks and could kick serious ass without breaking a sweat but they were licensed to carry concealed weapons. Andy said he and two of his best bodyguards were going to Horatio's immediately. And till the killer was caught, Andy was moving in. Horatio didn't object. But asked Andy not to call his sister. Horatio wanted to talk to his wife first. His brother-in-law agreed. Aimee hadn't noticed the presence of the patrol car outside her home when she got up with her daughter at around seven. Kyle was still sound sleep. But the moment she saw Horatio she knew something was wrong. Horatio kissed her and took Faith into his arms, knowing the effects of what he was about to say. She went pale and her knees got weak. She sat down on a chair next to the kitchen table.

"W-what's gonna happen now?" She stammered.

Horatio told her there was a police car stationed outside and there would be one there twenty-four seven till this was over. He informed her that her brother and two of employees were on the way out and Andy was moving in till then. Two bodyguards would be with her and Faith every moment. Andy would be accompanying Kyle to school and his other activities. Aimee agreed. As much as she wanted their son locked up, safe in the house, she knew he didn't deserve that. At six-year-old he didn't need to knew the reality but deserved to live like every other child, not a prisoner. With his uncle going everywhere with him he would think it was a treat.

Thank goodness of the innocence of a child.

Kyle was excited that Uncle Andy was moving in. He didn't know _why_ and if they could have, Horatio and Aimee were going to keep it that way. The two other bodyguards, Elliott and Steven would be living in a house across the street. When Kyle saw that Elliott and Steven went everywhere with mom and Faith, he asked what was going on. Tragically even the kids at his school knew there was a murderer going around that police were having trouble catching because they couldn't figure out who he was.

"Is this 'cause of him?" Kyle asked.

Normally they would lie but looking at each other, both adults nodded.

"So uncle Andy, Elliott and Steven can keep us safe when you're at work, daddy? Until you catch him?" Kyle asked. "'Cause _you_ keep us safe when you're home. When you're here, we don't need anyone else."

The fact that his son still had this confidence eased any guilt Horatio was starting to feel.

"Kyle, daddy and I want you to go to school, play with your friends and play soccer, have fun and not worry 'bout anything, okay?" Aimee told the boy. "And I promise, me and sissy will have fun and be okay, too."

Kyle nodded and gave each parent a big hug. Both dad and mom prayed that Kyle would come through this period without any more trauma.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Closing in**_

Andy Michaels would be accompanying his nephew to school, but not the classroom and he would hang back on the playground at recess and at the boy's sports events.. His business was one of the most successful in Miami and though it would have given the business even bigger boost, Andy _refused _to take city-based elite unless they could prove they were under threat. Most of the city's elite, most of them just wanted body guards for show. And visiting celebrities? His company could meet these groups often outrageous demands but he found that his employees were treated with less then no respect by them. His business wasn't about just money to Andy Michaels. He wanted to provide a service to people who only _needed_ it and not wanted it strictly for appearance. Elliott and Steven were getting their regular fee through a spacial account set up for cases like this. The rent for the house across the street and their personal expenses were also being covered this way.

This job, for Andy, was free.

He was grateful that he didn't have to worry about his and Aimee's parents. They had left for a six month European cruise three days ago. Andy himself was unattached and didn't have any children. He was too focused on his company. When Aimee and the kids were home, especially when Horatio was there, Andy tried to make himself "as scarce" as possible. He would eat his meals in the basement rec room that was his temporary apartment. Yes, he was family and he would come up and chat with everyone and play with the kids for a bit. But for the most part he left them to their privacy. His sister and brother-in-law told him he wasn't limited to basement. He could come up when he pleased and he was welcome to the frig and cupboards. Aimee already bought his own groceries, because he liked some things that Aimee normally didn't buy. Her brother buying his own groceries helped with the family bill.

Just as Andy wasn't limited to the basement, it was common for Kyle to go down to the basement to play board games and watch movies with his uncle.

* * *

Sparks flew from the grinder that sharpened his exe.

It had been easy as taking candy from a baby to get that young temporary receptionist at Dade Elementary School to look up, find and give him Horatio Caine's cellphone number, listed as an emergency contact for his son who attended there. Gina Hurley realized what she had done hours after. When she passed Baxter Murphy the number he asked for, he send a text to that number. Then with a sinister grin on his face said "now _Horatio Caine_ will have to step his search for me."

In horror, she realized Baxter Murphy was the serial killer everyone was looking for.

Gina swallowed a bottle of pills, followed by whiskey, Gina lay down to die, leaving a letter under her pillow, apologizing for what she did. Telling whoever read it how Horatio's cellphone number was revealed, that Baxter Murphy was the "butcher." She wrote he had at least ten or more prepaid cellphones which he used to make calls. One of these was probably used to threaten the lieutenant's family. Gina also revealed that Baxter lived in in the second apartment behind hers in the group of five attached houses where she lived in a poor, run-down part of the city. Gina didn't die, her mother found her—and the letter, and dialed 9-1-1.

_Attention readers, this story is going to have several more chapters but will be shorter than my others, action will ensue on the next chapter!_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Showdown**_

Police had the landlord clear out the other apartments prior to SWAT and officers breaking the door of the house that Baxter Murphy occupied. The landlord confirmed that Baxter lived alone. As SWAT members approached the door, the sound of an electric grinder could be heard from the home. SWAT broke down the front door, the kitchen was empty. As were the surrounding bedrooms. In a room in back, a garage converted to a workshop, Baxter stood there and continued to sharpen the tool. The wall behind him were lined with axes identical to the one he held in his hands. He smirked, as the SWAT team, other officers, followed by Horatio, Ryan and Frank stormed. He was ordered to drop his weapon. Baxter let the axe slowly fall from his hands and onto the floor. His expression never changing as he was cuffed and read his rights.

"Well, nice to finally meet you in person, _lieutenant,"_ Baxter said looking in Horatio's direction. "Loved your _security system_, by the way_. _You wasted your money, though. I wasn't going to take any chances. I probably wouldn't have got out of there alive."

_That was my goal, _Horatio thought.

Greta Williams had managed to claw her attacker, the blood and skin beneath her fingernails matched Baxter's DNA. His DNA also matched the tiny amount of blood on the axe left at the first set of murders.

Baxter was also diabetic.

The man still couldn't peel the diabolical grin from his face as he sat in the interrogation room after being told his DNA taken from the rim of a cup he had drank from twenty minutes prior, was a match to DNA found on an axe used to murder a family of three and underneath the fingernails of murdered social worker.

"You got me," he said, now breaking into a laugh. "I did another one, too. A woman and her two kids. She had her own kid, too but like the first one thought it was fine to call someone else's kid hers and everything would be great." He went on to tell how he loathed his "so-called"siblings, how his mother told him he wasn't "special" or "chosen" like them. He just "happened." This was when he decided people should either procreate or adopt children, doing both was selfish and children suffered.

"I was giving these women what they deserved and relieving the suffering those children were definitely going to go through."

"How'd you find these people?" Ryan asked.

Baxter snorted.

"Don't you ever notice how many flyers are posted around for different adoption groups? That's how. I followed the first two _families_. With no man around, it was too easy. As far that social worker went, she ran one of these _family_ groups. Picking the lock of her front door was child's play. I didn't know she had a roommate. But she couldn't see me anyway.

"Anything else you pigs wanna know? Cause after this I'm shutting my mouth."

"Lieutenant Caine's family. How'd you find out 'bout them?" Tim Speedle demanded.

Horatio stood outside the glass, waiting for an answer.

"That girl from the school, Gia, or Gina. The same one who got me Caine's number when she thought I was going in a tip or something. She said how the kid told her that when his dad got married, the wife adopted him and then she got knocked up."

Horatio was certain his son didn't exactly put it that way. But Kyle was never going to hear about this. He would feel guilty and he hadn't done anything wrong. It remained to be seen whether the district attorney was going to charge Gina Hurley with anything.

Detectives were going to recommend against it.

**_Never fear! This story isn't done yet!_**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Freedom**_

It felt as if sixteen tons had been lifted from Horatio's shoulders. The man who had been tagged the "butcher" was now in jail. Baxter Murphy was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. He would be facing the death penalty if found guilty. More importantly, his own family was once again safe. He could tell Andy and his employees their services were no longer needed.

"You guys caught the bad man, daddy?" Kyle asked as the boy saw his uncle and the two other men leave with their luggage in tow.

"We did," Horatio said, smiling for real for the first time in weeks.

"Yay!" Kyle said, jumping up and down. "Can we go out to the park after dinner?"

Even with the bodyguards, Aimee was nervous about Kyle going anywhere but school or soccer. The park was out. The farthest the boy was allowed to be the backyard. Thankfully his friends' parents still felt fine with their kids going at the Caines'. Some parents thought it was the safest place in the neighborhood. Kyle hadn't been to the park in weeks.

"I don't know, partner. It might be too late to go then. How about we go tomorrow? That's Saturday. I think we should go out for dinner."

The family hadn't been out to eat in the same amount of time Kyle hadn't been to the park. One of their favorite places to go was a 50's style diner a short drive away called _DJ's Malt Shoppe_.

"Okay!" Kyle said.

While Kyle got ready, Horatio went to find his wife and daughter. Aimee was changing Faith's diaper and dressing her in a new outfit, a pair of white fleece shorts and white t-shirt with a pink butterfly on the front when he poked his head in. Faith's red hair was in a ponytail on top of her head.

He thought she looked like Pebbles Flintstone like that.

He smiled. "Hey," he said.

"Oh. Hey, baby," Aimee replied, smiling. "Heard the good news. It's all over the tv."

Horatio walked over and kissed them both.

"Yeah. I thought we'd go out for dinner at _DJ's _to celebrate."

"Sounds great."

It seemed like forever since the family had laughed so much. Horatio and Aimee were glad that their kids were great sleepers. They locked the door and made love till the late hours of the morning.

_Six Months Later..._

Horatio and Aimee had just found out they would be having a third child. Why some were surprised that he was so thrilled about it puzzled Horatio. Kyle was excited at the thought of being a big brother again. Faith was too young to absorb the news.

Lorelei Rogers and Tim Speedle conceived in the tense weeks when the butcher was on the loose but had managed to keep it a secret till the city's ordeal was over. While Aimee was eight months away from giving birth, Lorelei was a month—or less away from giving birth to Timothy Jr.. It was a relatively slow day at the lab. Tim walked into the breakroom and fell into the sofa with a sigh.

"What's going on?" Horatio asked. He had just started a late lunch break.

He was pretty sure what topic Tim was going to bring up.

"what is it about pregnancy that makes a woman go _insane_?"

Horatio and everyone else had heard moody and hormonal Lorelei was. She could cry at the drop of a hat and yell at Tim the next. Fortunately they only _heard_ about it. The mother-to-be reserved her sobbing and yelling for Tim. Both Horatio and Eric had stopped counting the number of times either had told Tim to "suck it up." They had told their friend that they too had complained to their wives about how moody they were while pregnant. It resulted in them being told _in detail_, _exactly_ what was going on with her body at that very moment. Both swiftly learned to say "yes, my love," give her a hug if she so allowed and then ask if he could get her anything. Each had received this "information"—nobody ever wants to hear, especially a man. They only had to go through it once.

Tim, however was failing to get the message.

But he just might get it now.

Because Alexx Woods had walked in and heard his comment.

"Uh-oh," was all Horatio said.

"Did you just call the woman pregnant with _your_ baby, _insane_?"

Tim knew he was in for it.

"I— "

"Now you listen here,"she said, dragging him up by the arm and then starting to poke him in the chest as she spoke.

Horatio left the room with his lunch as Tim was told in even _more_ detail about the goings-on in the body of a very pregnant woman.

_Would Speed ever learn?_

Lorelei was pregnant for a whole two more weeks. She gave birth to Timothy Richard Speedle Junior after being in labor for only five hours.

Tim fainted three times during that time.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Genes vs. Reality**_

Timothy Speedle Jr was the first newborn baby his father ever held. Tim Sr didn't think he would take to help to looking after the newborn so easily. But he did. The pregnancy hadn't been planned but the two figured it was meant to be, especially if the baby were conceived during such a chaotic time. The new father began to think he'd never hear the end of him passing out three times during Lorelei's five hour labor, even though he stayed "at the north end" the whole time. He did cut the baby's umbilical cord however.

"With your job, _how does that happen_?" Horatio teased him.

Tim had been flabbergasted when he was told not only had Horatio stayed conscious the entire time his wife Aimee, was in labor with their now eighteen-month-old daughter Faith, but he put himself on the opposite end and actually delivered the baby girl. He knew Horatio was tough but didn't expect him to do that. And from then on, describe the experience as the "most beautiful thing in the world." Certainly for Tim, the birth of his son in itself was a beautiful occasion but he couldn't say that he would call having a front row seat of the actual process "beautiful." As happy as his arrival had made both his parents, Tim felt, and looked like a zombie when he arrived back at work two weeks later. From the first night they had the boy home he had awake every two hours _on the button. _And half of the time baby Timothy, known as "T.J.", his father's 'mini-me' refused to go back to sleep for at least two, sometimes three hours after.

Lorelei's planned exclusive year long breast-feeding plan went up in smoke the first twenty-four hours T.J. was home. Tim had called both Horatio and Eric countless times in the past two weeks exclaiming "_he doesn't sleep!"_

Horatio's immediate reply was "oh, he sleeps. Just not at the right time or for long enough." Yes, Horatio could definitely sympathize but for a moment wanted to enjoy Tim eat crow.

_All during Lorelei's pregnancy, Tim had said according to their mothers both he and Lorelei had slept through the night (from ten p.m. to seven a.m.) from the day they came home from the hospital. He bragged with those genes, the baby would be giving them peaceful nights from the get-go. _

_ "Really, Speed?" Fellow dad, Eric Delko had said, unbelieving. He was the father of six-month-old twins. "Sleep" and "newborn baby" didn't go in the same sentence._

_ Horatio had stifled a laugh, waiting for their buddy to continue._

_ "Yeah, double the genes. How could he not?" Tim said._

_ This time Horatio couldn't hold back his laughter._

_ "Speed. My wife likes more than anyone I know but when Faith was born we didn't see a full night sleep for __**six months**__!" _

"You got two of 'em, Tell me what to do!" He begged Horatio.

Eric and Calleigh's twins were only sleeping through the night half the time. One-year-old Faith had been sleeping well since she was seven months of age. Thus, the reason he called Horatio, not Eric.

"Okay, " Horatio said. "Did you try swaddling him?"

"Try what?"

Horatio sighed, smiling.

"Swaddling. You get a receiving blanket, unfold it completely and lay the baby in the middle and wrap the baby up like a burrito. Helps babies feel secure for the first few weeks out of the womb. Youtube it. It'll show you how. It worked for my kids."

"Okay. What's it called again?"

Horatio shook his head.

Speed needed some sleep, definitely.


	11. Chapter 11

_I have another question. Is the resource/reason for Tim Speedle's estrangement from his family ever discussed or revealed?_

_**Free Relief**_

Baxter Murphy was pleading not guilty by reason of mental illness. The mental illness being the message he received all his life from his parents about being their only biological child. How that biology made "not special." Horatio almost couldn't believe it. But then again, part of him could from all he had seen through the years. How Baxter was treated was unfair, and even Horatio had to agree, cruel but it didn't give Baxter a license to kill innocent people. He knew what he was doing was wrong in the eyes of the law and didn't care. He _hunted_ down these families and waited for a time when he was most likely not to be seen. And when he was arrested, bragged he'd done a good deed. in his mind. Baxter Murphy was eligible for the death sentence for each count of murder. As it stood right now, all cases were going to be tried together. The date for the trial was yet to be set.

No surprise.

Baxter's attorneys were filing every frivolous motion their brains could think of. The argument could be made this was the right of every citizen charged with a crime but it got old.

_Where were the rights of the victims and their families? _

Even if she was sightless Jen Williams would have to live forever with the scars, physical and emotional, of Baxter Murphy's rage. That and the guilt of surviving an attack her friend hadn't. Two more families each lost three people, two of whom were children who's lives had barely started. Horatio looked forward to seeing this guy strapped to a table with a needle in his arm.

* * *

The second phase, the fun one—of Horatio's day started when he pulled into his driveway. Seeing the faces of his children at the end of day was like daily therapy. When he pulled in on this evening he could hear the giggles of his children and wife from their secluded backyard. Stepping out onto the deck, Horatio was greeted with squeals of excitement. Kyle reached him first, wrapping his arms around his dad's waist. Horatio picked him up and hugged him tightly.

"Hey buddy," he said, kissing the boy's cheek. By then, Faith had reached him and wrapped herself around his leg. She looked up, way up for her tiny body and gave him a huge grin.

"Hello princess," he said, scooping her up in his other arm.

"Daddy," she said, crystal clear, placing a big, wet kiss on his cheek.

"Yes, baby. Daddy loves you, too."

Horatio insisted on full daddy-duty that night. While Aimee and Kyle played a game of _Mouse Trap_, Horatio gave Faith a bath. Sleepy from the bath and baby massage Faith snuggled into her dad's shoulder.

These were moments Horatio savored.

He held his little girl for a few more moments after she was sound asleep—just enjoying the warmth of her tiny body snuggled into him and the sound of her soft relaxed breathing. He kissed one more after he laid her in her crib and quietly left the room. Shortly after, Kyle was full of stories from the day. While Horatio washed and rinsed the boy's hair he heard about his soccer practice and then the caterpillars races he and his friend Rory played in the backyard. Personally Horatio and his wife believed that the reason Kyle didn't have all these new allergies like other kids nowadays was because he played with bugs, played in the dirt, was known to eat a bit of it once in the while, whether it be by accident or not and oh yes, most likely wouldn't take a bath if his mom and dad never made him.

Swaddling, like Horatio had suggested to Tim and Lorelei had worked like a charm in getting baby T.J. to sleep. The baby was now sleeping for five hours at night before waking for a feeding and diaper change. The three hours made an incredible difference to the daily lives of his exhausted mommy and daddy. Tim could just hear Horatio telling him "see? I told you!" Lorelei though insisted he tell his friend and mentor. Since he had to live with her, Speed promised his girlfriend he would.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Adventures Now and Ahead**_

Pregnant women could be demanding.

They could be moody.

But they could also be funny.

To Horatio Caine anyway.

His wife's tastes changed a bit during her pregnancy with their daughter, nothing "totally creepy" as Aimee would put it, just different.

_So she says,_ Horatio thought.

But out of the blue, Aimee had a taste for dill pickle potato chips—normal, their daughter would eat them all day, every day but mommy liked them topped the barbeque-flavored seasoning made for popcorn.

That combination just _didn't work_ in Horatio's opinion

"Don't you laugh at me, _pal!_" Aimee said, licking her fingers as she snacked one night. "Partly _your_ fault I developed this taste."

Horatio shook his head and continued to massage her feet.

She threw a couch cushion at his head in response.

"Did I ever tell you that every day with you is an adventure?" He grinned.

"And is that good or bad? Careful how you answer."

"Neither," Horatio replied. "It's definitely not bad. Good is too plain a word. It's _great,_" he then leaned over and kissed her deeply.

Part of today's 'adventure' was getting to hear their unborn child's heartbeat for the first time. Despite going through this whole experience before, it was an emotional moment listening to the heartbeat of a new child they had yet to meet.

* * *

Tim was also very much enjoying the adventure of fatherhood. From the beginning, he was determined to have a bond and relationship with baby T.J. that neither of parents had with him. He already felt more of a connection with his little boy in the six weeks he was alive, than he had with his own father his entire life. To ensure he would around for T.J. as long as possible Tim had started cleaning his gun on even more regular basis. His gun cleaning or lack of it was the reason he was wounded during a shootout years ago. Till then he barely did it, believing it wasn't necessary. Much to the dismay of Horatio Caine.

Then came the fateful day when his gun jammed from lack of cleaning and he was shot. That changed everything for Tim. When he had left Jamaica Queens New York at age twenty, he didn't look back. His parents never did him a reason for the coldness and distance they showed him all his life. All Tim could figure was that the couple hadn't wanted children in the first place and when he was born they were "stuck with" him. Tim's parents in New York weren't aware he had got shot in the line of duty years ago. They weren't even aware he was in law enforcement.

So it was safe to say that they didn't know baby T.J. had been born.

And they wouldn't, if Tim had anything to say about it. His family was Lorelei, T.J. and the people he worked with Miami. Since shortly after they met on the job, M.E. Alexx Woods was a surrogate mother to him and now she was a grandmother to T.J.. Lorelei's parents still lived in Texas where Lorelei was born and raised. They were staunch southern Baptists who had cut most ties with Lorelei when she was eighteen and she told them she was through with their religion and the way they tried to use it to dictate her life. She told them she wasn't an atheist but she was through with organized religion. The most she and her parents had shared in those years was an occasional brief phone call. Her parents knew about T.J. . They were "appalled" that Lorelei and Tim had no intention to get married, though they hadn't ruled it out in the futureand weren't going to baptize their son. They didn't plan to raise him by any organized religion. When he was old enough, he could make a choice. They were having a party for friends to meet and have pictures taken with the little guy though and had already asked Eric and Calleigh to be T.J.'s godparents and put it in their wills that the Delkos raise him if the unthinkable happened. Lorelei didn't want her son going anywhere near Texas, just as Tim didn't want him going to New York. Miami was their home, period.

Life was again settled in Miami.

As much as it ever would for the crime scene investigators at the Miami-Dade police department. A rare peaceful night at home awaited them. Each would enjoy the moment while it lasted because no one knew when it would be interrupted.

_**The End. **__For now..._


End file.
